Last week, the biz was buzzing about two definitely-adult films from ex-YouTubers dominating the box office. Then last weekend, the digitally born toon The Amazing Digital Circus: The Last Act gave the would-be blockbuster Masters of the Universe a run for its money—another reminder that the industry ignores YouTube at its peril. Is the candy-colored psychological horror IP really made for kids? Maybe not—though kids are certainly into it anyway (and there were similar questions about the Gen-X-coded MOTU). But because it’s only kinda-sorta for kids, we left creator Gooseworx out of these Gold Star noms—here’s who made the list instead:

Gracie’s Corner: Nobody puts Gracie in a corner! Kidscreen told you to watch out for the popular kids channel with 6.3 million subscribers (and 10 billion lifetime views). And guess who agreed with us? None other than Disney! The animated musical series from the Hollingsworth family is set to launch on Disney Jr. and Disney+ later this month. Not only did Disney pick up the series—where the charismatic Gracie sings and dances about everything from colors to the countries in Africa—it also signed a deal to develop new Gracie’s Corner content. Welcome to the home of Bluey and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Gracie! 

Heather Tilert: Netflix’s resident preschool maven is going to be steering a much bigger slate soon. Tilert has been promoted to a new gig as kids & family series VP—with oversight of animation and kids & family unscripted for the world’s biggest streamer. It’s a well-earned promotion, after Tilert built a record of non-stop hits over the past eight years, leading the streamer’s youngest audiences from Gabby’s Dollhouse to the new Sesame Street. Oh, and she also played a role in Netflix’s recent push into creator content, including big viewership drivers like Ms. Rachel and Danny Go! Her golden touch certainly means more exciting content moves on the horizon.

Illumination: The banner said “let’s-a-go!” and proved that its first adaptation of Nintendo’s beloved gaming IP wasn’t a fluke. Illumination delivered the first billion-dollar film of the year with The Super Mario Galaxy Movie—expanding the world, packing in more stars, setting up new potential spinoffs, and still keeping the budget tight around the US$100-million range. And don’t be surprised if Illumination goes 2-2 this year with its next potential billion-dollar-maker, Minions & Monsters. After CEO Chris Meledandri got a star on the Walk of Fame this week, can his studio notch Kidscreen‘s Gold Star, too? 

Wind Sun Sky: So why did the chicken cross the road? To get its first long-form animated series! And what a crossing it’s been for the Vancouver-based studio, which has built up a whole henhouse of content around its time-traveling, eco-conscious Future Chicken. From its roots as a digital-first series to its iterations as an animated/live-action talk show and a batch of microdrama shorts, Wind Sun Sky has been building up the franchise for years—and it’s all led to a 20 x 11-minute package of episodes co-produced and distributed by Singapore’s Bomanbridge. Future Chicken might be the clearest example of how the old model of pitching an idea and getting a series right away is fading, and now creators need to make podcasts, music videos and Roblox games before a long-form show materializes. Kudos to Wind Sun Sky for seeing the Future.

So who had the best week in the bunch? Vote before 8 a.m. ET on Monday to let us know what you think:

Want to pitch us a Gold Star nomination? Send an email to submissions@kidscreen.com by noon on Thursdays. And check back every Friday for our next batch of nominees. Hope to see you on the list!